Key Facts

Overview

Nongoma is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Nongoma as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Nongoma orbits the sun every 1,310 days (3.59 years), coming as close as 2.04 AU and reaching as far as 2.65 AU from the sun. Nongoma is about 9.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Nongoma has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 94.80 hours.

No Close Approaches

Nongoma's orbit is 1.02 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

Nongoma's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 3, 1934. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,777 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of Nongoma:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.344 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1313
  • Inclination: 22.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 270.78°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 347.73°
  • Mean Anomaly: 317.34°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 9.36500 km
  • Magnitude: 12.03
  • Albedo: 0.282

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,310 days (3.59 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.65 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.04 AU
  • Rotation Period: 94.80 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Nongoma is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.